The Ritualicious Lunch: Part Two

Amidst the chaos of Cannes Lions 2025, MSQ and The Marketing Society teamed up once more on Wednesday to host a welcome pause for reflection: The Ritualicious Lunch: Part Two.

Building on the success of last year’s 'Ritualized' research, the session invited a group of marketers, strategists, and creative leaders to consider a simple but powerful idea: not all moments are created equal, and some deserve more care.

The conversation, led by MSQ’s Justin Cox, Kit Altin, and Eleanor Lloyd Malcom, centred around the emotional and strategic difference between habits and rituals. As Kit put it, "Habits and routines automate. Rituals animate". Habits are efficient. They’re automatic, functional, and often invisible. Rituals, on the other hand, are inspired by meaning, they help people feel grounded, present, and emotionally connected, often through small, everyday actions.

Think of a father-daughter playlist or a specific perfume before a date, these aren’t just habits, they're subtle but deeply emotional ways that people create meaning – and brands can thoughtfully accompany these moments without dominating them to become more effective.

Some of the most interesting takeaways from the day:

• 70% of people already incorporate brands into rituals – the question is not if we belong there, but how.
• Rituals are not grand occasions – they are small, emotional transitions in daily life.
• Successful brand integration is about authenticity, ease, and desirability.This isn’t just about insight – it’s a call to restore marketing’s emotional confidence.

As Sophie Devonshire, CEO of The Marketing Society best put it, “What never changes, even in this wave of acceleration, is the value of human understanding.”

Find out more about our Ritualized research here.